The long-running conclusion to the future of Perth City Hall will move closer next week when councillors consider plans to transform the building into a food market or a hotel.

Planning officials at Perth and Kinross Council have urged councillors to back proposals to transform the B-listed building Perth City Hall into a food market when they meet on Wednesday.

Although, according to the BBC, a number of pre-conditions would need to be met before a draft lease could be agreed at the authority’s meeting in February.

An official report from the council’s head of planning recommends that councillors approve the plans by Perth Market Place Ltd. The food market plan has been chosen as the preferred option over a bid by developers The Seventy Group to turn the Edwardian building into a luxury five-star hotel.

The council had initially wanted to demolish the building to make way for a new civic square but reneged after opposition from Historic Scotland and a local campaign group.

It has lain unused for more than ten years after a new concert hall was opened in the city.

A report from David Littlejohn, the council’s head of planning and development, states: “It is recommended that the council confirms Perth Market Place Ltd as the preferred bidder for Perth City Hall to operate it as a food market.”

City Hall will be leased for 125 years as opposed to an outright sale.

The report further states: “Perth Market Place Ltd confirmed that the intention is to operate the facility as a food market. However, they would wish to sell a small supporting line of food-related items, such as cookware, and have agreed that this would be formally restricted in the lease.

“They also reconfirmed the venture was fully funded and would operate without public subsidy. As proposed in their offer, a ground lease would be granted to Perth Market Place Ltd who would sub-let to Geraud UK Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Luxembourg registered Geraud SA.”